Plug and receptacle connector.



L. 0. mm. PLUG MID RECEPHCLE CONNHITOR. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 3, Hi5-1,227,918. 7 Patented 29, 1917.

II/a I I/Wm/W Loam 0. new/ slum Idol's m- LOUIS O. LIEBER, OF LOS PATENTOFFICE.

.ANGELES, UALEFORNIA.

PLUG- AND BECEPTACLE CONNECTOR.

Application filed February 3, 1916. Serial No. 76,040.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, LOUIS X). LIEBER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angelcs, State ofCalifornia, have invented new "and useful Improvements in Plug andReceptacle (lonnectors, of Which the following is a specification.

Thisinvention relates to plug and receptacle connectors, adapters andthe like; and relates more particularly to a combinat on including my.universal. plug connectorshown and described in my application be rialNumber 68,796, filed Dec. 27th, l9l5. And this invention has for itsobject the provision of a combination wherein my plug connector isadapted for universal use.

The further objects and advantages of this invention and the structuraldetails of the preferred form of device or devices embodying thisinvention are explained in the following specification, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevationshowing my connector applied to an electric appliance, such as atoaster, Fig. 2 is an enlarged section taken on line 2- -2 of Fig. 1Fig. 3 is an enlarged section of the plug or my connector, Fig. 4;

is a section taken as indicated by line 4.4

on Fig. 3, and Fig. 5 is a longitudinal settion showing the adapterapplied to plug and receptacle, and showing, the use of the adapteraccording to my invention.

In the drawing l designates an electric appliance such as a toaster orthe like which appliance is, according to my invention, suppliednvith avreceptacle 11. This receptacle may be in the form of a plain metalcylinder; or it may preferably have an off-set or shoulder 12 in itsinner surface for engagement, by ,Lj'l'iitllhl other member 13 oftheTheshoulder Ina'vbe formed 1n anv s'uitab manner, either in the mannerillustra. d r' hy groove on the inner surljiefbru'md in any suchinantiers and .dWllong the receptacle surface. limping is shown indetail 'in Figs. 3 and 4, comprising a porcelain or other base liiprovided with apertures i l for pass are of wires ljT, one of the wiresbeing connected at [3 to a washer 1!) at the end of the plug. Thiswasher 19 is overhung lay a flange 20 of the cylindrical plug shell 21.The shell is held in plai'u l v sllltul lu screws At the end ol. theplug 1 provi e the usual cen- Specification of Letters Patent.

5 eccentric su rfare 2G 'iiita le; or a plurality of such 3L The hall 13is then Patented May 25, 1917.

tral contact 23 to which the other Wire 17 connects. The shell 21 has acircumferential slot 25; and the body .15 is provided with an eccentricgroove 26 inin'iediately behind. the slot. The ball. or other movingmember 13 is adapted to move freely in this slot on the and the surfaceon Which the ball is sumiorted may be the surface of tlie porcelainitself, or any other surface may he provided if desired. When the ballis at one endflof the slot it projects but very-little beyond thesurface of the shell 21; when at the other and of the slot it pro jectsmore beyond the surface of shell 21; so that by placing the plug in thereceptacle cylinder 11 and then turning the lug through the fraction ofa revolution, the ball frictionally engaging with the inner surface ofthe receptacle, the hall will be rolled from its position of littleprojection to its position of greater projection. The ball will then beforced outwardly against the inner surface of the cylindrical receptacle11 be I hind the shoulder 12,'and the plug is thus pressed over againstthe opposite side of the its use and adaptable for cooperation'witlr anyform of rece itacle. The essential feature of my plug its'expansiveaction on movement (of rotatioi'i).

Receptacle 1.1 hasat its base a resiliently supported contact 30. Thiscontact-is held in. a cage 31 and is resiliently supported by a spring Ascrew or bolt 33 holds the cage 31,, and the whole receptacle, to theappliance 10, but this means of mounting is of course va ricd to suitcircumstances. When the plug inserted the contact 30 is pushed backuntil it reaches its limit of backward motion, seating on the back partof the cage at or past the shoulder 1E2. 'luruing lhe plug then expandsthe ball against the receptacle surface, and the In the form shown inFigs. 1 and 2 the plug is provided with a shield 35, the rear end of theplug being secured in the shield at 36. This shield has an insulatinglining i 37 which fits over the receptacle 11, completely covering thereceptacle and thoroughly insulating it from contact with the person. I

In the .form shown in Fi 3 and 4; the plug 14 is not inclosed within ashield but the plug, is that shown'in Figs. 1 and 2, except that it maybe provided with a ring or head 40 of some suitable insulating material.This is 15 the form of plug shown on the free end of cord l1 in Fig. 1.It is one of the advantages of my invention that the same kind ofconnector plug may be used on opppsite ends of the connection cord 41,it only eing necessary to add the shield 35 at the end desired tobeconnected with the receptacle 11. This provision for identical connectorplugs on opposite ends of the commercial importance. Heretoforeit hasbeen'necessary to provide one kind of plug for insertion in a lamcircuit socket, and to provide a different kind of connector to beattached to the electric appliance 10. With my invention, where only asmall turnin is required to secure the plug, I am enable to use the samelugon opposite ends of the connector cor I have also provided an adapterfor cooperation with the plug 14 in the same manner that receptacle 11cooperates with the plug. In fact it will be seen that the adapter is amodifiedform of rece tacle. The object of this adapter is to a apt aplug, in this case with its shield, for reception of any ordinaryelectrical connection such as a screw threaded plug or lamp base or anyother similar mem er. That is, my adapter makes it possible to use thecord 41 not only as a connection for the particular electric applianceto which it belongs, but also makes it possible to use the cord 41 as aneral extension cord. The lug 1% at one end of the cord 41 is universely adapted to be inserted in any ordinary socket, or in a 50 receptacleof the type shown at 11; and my adapter 50 may be coiiperatcd with theshield and plug -l in the manner shown in Fig. 5. This adapter comprisesa cylindrical receptacle portion 11' similar to the cylindricalreceptacle 11 and adapted to engage the ball 13 in the manner The outerpart of the cylinder 11 is provided with screw threads 11" for thereception of any ordinary gilug or lamp base 60, or for the reception myuniversal plug or lamp base. When the lamp is in place as shown in Fig.5, the center end contact engages the center end contact 23 of the plug14 the plug 14 being pushed back with its ball 13 against the shoulder12 of identical construction with cord is a provision of,

herein before described.

by the screwing'of plug 60 into place; and the electrical circuitincludes parts 11' and -11 between the plug 60 and the shell 210i plug14. The outer end of the adapter is provided with a rin 62 of hardrubber or any other suitable insulating material to protect the personin applying the adapter to the shield and plug. It will be seen that mydevice is thus made useful as a general extension cord.-

A particular feature of this invention is its standardization of parts,a standard lug being used through all connections. his is made possibleby the use of the rece tacle am adapter as illustrated and escribed; andit is this particular combination that I now wish to claim. It will benoted that, although my plug is universal in its nature andcotiperates'readily with any ordinary form of socket or receptacle, yetthe peculiar form of receptacle, or adapter is applicable alone to myplug or a plug oi the general nature described.

Having described a preferred form of my invention, I claim:-

1. An,1 electric connector, embodying a cylindrical plug having anoutwardly movable member thereon, and a cylindrical receptacle having anendless annular shoulder around its interior surface ada ted to beengaged by the outwardly mova 1e member on the plug, said outwardlymovable member embodying a ball, and means to cause the ball to moveoutwardly by rotation. of the plug. I

An electric connector, embodying a cylindrical plug having an exteriorcylindrical shell with a circumferential slot, an eccentric surface inthe plug beneath the slot, and a ball adapted to move longitudi- 5 nallyin the slot and on said surface, in combination with a cylindricalreceptacle having an interior endless annular shoulder.

3. An electric connector, embodyin a cylindrical plug having an,exterior cy indrical shell with a circumferential slot, an eccentricsurface in the plug beneath the slot, and a ball adapted to movelongitudinally in the slot and on said surface, in combination with acylindrical receptacle of interior diameter to fit freely over thecylindrical plug, and having an endless annular shoulder extendingcompletely around its inner surface.

4. An electric connector, embodying a cylindrical plug having anexterior cylindrical shell with a circumferential slot, an eccentricsurface in the plug beneath the slot, and a ball adapted to movelongitudinally in the slot and on said surface, in combination with acylindrical receptacle of interior diameter to fit freely over thecylindrical plug, and having an endless annular shoulder extendingcompletely around its inner surface, said plug having a central membermounted on said plug and project means contact, and a resilientlysupported an endless annular shoulder around its illterior sur ace, aplug adapted for free ion-- gitudinah and rotational movement in saidreceptacle, an outwardly movable locking ing beyond its surface toengage the recep taele, and means to cause the member to move outwardlyby rotation. of the plug.

6. An electrical connector, embodyin in combination, an outercylindrical mem er, an inner cylindrical member adapted for longitudinaland i rotational" ncrement in said outer cylindrical member, one of saidcylindrical members having anendless an nular shoulder therearound amovable locking member on the other 0 said cylindrical members projectintherefrom toengage the first mentioned ey indrical member and itsfannular shoulder, andmeans to cause movement of the locking membertoward'and' against said first"mention'ed member by Virtue of relativerotationzof drical members. r v

In witness that I claim the fore the two cylim' oing l have hereuntosubscribed my name t 's 28th i day of January, 1916. v LOUIS O. LIEBER.

Witnesses:

B. B.. GREGORY, 7 JAMES T'. BARKELEW. j

